Examiner Supports Gas Co. Rate Hike
A hearing examiner has recommended approval of a settlement proposing a $21.5 million rate increase for the Gas Company of New Mexico.
The new rates would increase a typical residential bill by about 6.4 percent, or about $38 a year, the gas company says.
In a filing, hearing examiner Elizabeth Hurst recommended approval of the settlement, which will be considered by the Public Regulation Commission this morning. The agreement, which reduced the company’s original request by $14 million, was signed by the gas company and five other parties. No other participants in the case opposed the agreement.
The increase would be the first since 2007 and would take effect with the commission’s final order.
Court Cautions Pitre Employees
Employees of the Pitre Inc. car dealership in Albuquerque have been barred by the U.S. District Court from threatening or retaliating against current and former employees who participate in a discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Chief U.S. District Court Judge Bruce Black’s preliminary injunction prohibits the dealership and all of its agents, except the dealership’s attorneys, from contacting current non-management employees or former employees regarding the facts and/or defenses in the EEOC’s lawsuit, the EEOC said in a news release.
The EEOC sued Pitre on behalf of several male employees, who were allegedly subjected to egregious sexual harassment and retaliation over a 10-year period.
Doña Ana College Gets Rail Donation
Union Pacific, which recently began construction of a new rail complex just outside Santa Teresa, donated $100,000 to Doña Ana Community College as part of Las Cruces Day in Santa Fe at the Roundhouse on Monday.
“We plan to use the funds for scholarships and workforce development to ensure our students have the knowledge needed to qualify for the jobs this new facility will bring to the region,” said DACC President Margie Huerta.
In 2011, Gov. Susana Martinez signed into law a bill granting Union Pacific a locomotive fuel tax deduction that allowed the company to move forward with an investment of $400 million in the construction of a 2,200- acre rail facility west of the Santa Teresa Airport.
The complex is expected to create about 3,000 jobs during the build phase from 2011 to 2015 and more than 600 jobs once it reaches full capacity in 2025.
Rocket Launched From Spaceport
The New Mexico Spaceport Authority confirmed Monday a launch of a “STIG-A” rocket designed and built by Armadillo Aerospace.
The launch took place from Spaceport America’s vertical launch complex on Saturday. The research and development test flight was a nonpublic, unpublished event at the request of Armadillo Aerospace, as the company is testing proprietary launch technologies.
The rocket successfully lifted off at about 11:15 a.m., and preliminary data indicate the rocket reached its projected altitude of more than 137,000 feet. Once there, the STIG-A’s recovery system malfunctioned, but the rocket was successfully retrieved after a hard landing, according to a news release.
